Georgia’s Giorgi Javakhia says he is relishing the prospect of facing some of the best teams in the world in the Autumn Nations Cup.
The former Lyon second-rower is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury sustained in last Saturday’s PRO D2 fixture while playing for Aurillac against Provence.
The 24-year-old, who can also play in the back row, has featured twice for Georgia in Test match rugby, and is working hard behind the scenes to be fit and ready to feature in the new tournament.
“I am well aware that performing at such a level requires more effort and I started to train as soon as they called me,” Javakhia told Georgia Rugby Union.
“I have more things to do so that I worked on all the components with the help of my Georgian clubmates.”
Javakhia was part of the Georgia team that were defeated by Scotland 48-7 at Murrayfield last month, coming on as a replacement for the last 10 minutes.
While the 6ft 4in forward is unavailable for the clash against England this weekend, meaning he is unable to face his “favourite team and player Maro Itoje”, he wants to prove his worth to not just his teammates but the supporters back home.
He says: “The national team doctors paid me a great deal of attention and I feel well now. I already train together with the team, without contact though yet.
“I did not expect it and was so happy when they called me that I could not even express my emotions properly.
“I have never played against teams of such level. “I tried my best to get ready for the tournament, and if I am selected to play I will do all I can to be useful for the team and make the Georgian fans happy.”
